


Second Son

by Estirose



Category: Kamen Rider Kiva
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-28 15:05:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10833717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estirose/pseuds/Estirose
Summary: Taiga decides to solve the problem of Wataru killing their people by marrying him off.





	Second Son

**Author's Note:**

> AKA Wataru is going to be married to a couple of girls if Taiga has something to say about it. AU to the series as Mio is still alive and so is Bishop. It's not strictly an Unwanted Harem, but it is a harem that Wataru doesn't want.
> 
> I wanted to get this archived. I'm not sure if I'll be continuing it, though I'd be happy to if someone was interested and didn't mind some really intermittent updating while I work on various and sundry projects.
> 
> Part 1 covers parts 1-6 archived on Dreamwidth.

Taiga had to admit that he felt bad about Wataru's love life. His friend had been all ready to settle down, and with a Fangire no less, and then the girl had turned out to be Taiga's Queen. It wasn't anybody's fault, really.

Some would have just let Wataru find another girl on his own. But Wataru wasn't only Taiga's best friend in childhood, he carried a former Queen's bloodline. Taiga didn't want Wataru's bloodline to go to waste, and didn't want his blood kin to be even more human than Wataru was. Fangire hunted humans, after all, and he'd hate to have such a noble bloodline used as food.

"I'm going to find him a wife," he said while his latest majordomo and Bishop stood nearby.

"Are you sure of this?" Bishop asked, eyebrows raised. "Such a fuss about someone with such a short lifespan."

"It'll keep him out of trouble, if he has a wife and an infant to worry about," Taiga said. He knew as well as Bishop did that being Kiva, fighting his own kin, made Wataru's life more dangerous. Taiga didn't want his half-brother to die as stupidly as he was intent on doing. "And like it or not, there's a reason he can wear the Kiva armor."

Bishop bowed. "And what's your plan, my lord?"

Taiga smiled. He didn't totally trust Bishop when it came to Wataru, but the man had a good brain. "Find a nice, quiet girl for him to protect. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find one that wanted Wataru for his ancestry. For that matter, several girls."

Coming out of his bow, Bishop smiled. "I can see why that would keep him busy, my lord. I'll see who I can find that would fit the criteria. It wouldn't be the first time a young noble had a harem."

That was not quite what Taiga had in mind, but he'd learned it was unwise to interrupt Bishop when he had a plan going. And a group of girls would keep Wataru definitely very busy.

* * *

Wataru had come to the depressing realization that unless he could convince Taiga-kun to convince his people to stop killing humans, Wataru might have to kill his childhood best friend and hope the next King would be a bit more human-friendly. At least Mio-san might be more amenable to leaving humans alone.

"Wataru-kun!" Taiga-kun was walking towards him and smiling. "How are you?"

"I'm... okay," Wataru said uncertainly.

"You sure about that," Taiga-kun said, frowning and eyeing Wataru as if visually checking for bruises. "Anyway. I'm hosting a dinner party - want to come?"

"Um," Wataru said. Maybe he'd have a chance to talk to Taiga-kun then. "Yes?"

Taiga-kun grinned and almost bounced. "You won't regret it, Wataru," he promised. "It's not anything formal - just get dressed in good clothes."

* * *

Wataru showed up at the address Taiga-kun had given him, hoping that the outfit was good enough. "Wataru," Taiga-kun said cheerfully, emerging from the innards of the restaurant. "Thank you for coming." The young King was dressed in casual clothing, and Wataru wondered if he was overdressed.

As they entered the restaurant, he and Taiga-kun were directed towards a smaller, more private room. He eyed the diners; all female, all smiling at him. There had to be at least twenty, and none of them Mio-san. He gulped.

At least he wasn't overdressed with them. He wondered if Taiga-kun ever bothered with formal clothing.

"I felt sorry about breaking up you and Mio," Taiga-kun said quietly. "So I thought I'd find you a girlfriend. Or two. Or three."

Wataru wondered how Taiga-kun was going to pull that off, even if he was the King. If these girls were Fangire, then they'd obey their king, though, even tolerating sharing a boyfriend for a short time. "Fangire or human?" he asked as they proceeded towards a table towards the back.

"Fangire, of course," Taiga-kun said, as if that hadn't been a question. Which definitely made sense, at least on the species end. "What do you know about your mother?"

"Um," Wataru said. "She liked the arts." He felt ashamed at not knowing more about her.

"We share a mother," Taiga said casually. "But my father was the former King; yours was some musician mom fell for." He smiled at Wataru, as if to blunt any offense. "But at least your blood through mom is okay. Royal, even."

Wataru nodded numbly, still eyeing the women.

"I didn't want it diluted any further, so I talked to Bishop," Taiga-kun said as a server came into the room. "He said that there's a precedent for how to deal with troublesome younger brothers that involves making sure they settle down with multiple wives." He leaned in closer. "I figured I could either kill you for killing your own kind, or I could domesticate you. Which would you prefer?"

"Um." The fact that Taiga-kun *knew* he was Kiva at all was unsettling.

"Besides, it's a command from your King, since you're half Fangire," Taiga-kun said, leaning back. "I would suggest not disobeying your King."

"I have no clue how to date," Wataru said. It was probably the safest thing for him to say.

Taiga-kun laughed. "Oh," he said. "That's not a problem. I'm just going to introduce you to all of them, and see how you do together, choose a few for you, and then *they* can handle the dating. They all know they're going to share you, they just want descendents that can be Checkmate Four."

Wataru doubted human society handled this kind of situation. "Right." he had to wonder how eager the women really were to be dating someone who was going out with someone else, and what he really wanted to do was talk about the sudden revelation about his ancestry, not date a few women at a time.

"I'm sure there's someone you'll like," Taiga-kun promised. "There has to be."

Two days later, Taiga-kun showed up at Wataru's house with a thick manila envelope. "After some thought," he said, "I wanted things to go right."

Wataru was hoping to avoid the whole group, and had been glad that he hadn't been getting any phone calls from any of the women.

"Here's the ones I just gave your number to," Taiga said. "Six of them. Try to find two or three that you like, will you?"

"What do I do if one of the others gets her hands on my phone number?" Wataru asked. Megumi-san's phone had dozen of numbers that she'd 'picked up' somewhere.

Taiga shrugged. "See if you like them, and if you do, you have my blessing," he said simply. "I just want someone you can be happy with."

Wataru hoped that he'd figure out what to do with Taiga before he had to get married. He wondered if Megumi-san had any advice on what to do to stave off marriage. Or maybe Shizuka-chan knew.

"This is Shoji Chiyoko," Taiga-kun said, after they'd moved to the table. "The family's very remotely related to us, most people consider them very eccentric. They're wildlife guardians, feed on trespassers, prefer their Fangire forms. Shoji-san seems to be one of the more social ones - sells artwork to local stores, I understand. She doesn't need to, but she does. I was thinking she'd be a good wife for you because she lives separate from the world, like you tend to do. She herself wouldn't mind strengthening their connection to our bloodline."

Wataru nodded. Shoji-san wouldn't have been too bad if she hadn't been Fangire, actually.

"Nakamura Michiko has a high enough position in her company that she could transfer down south," Taiga-kun said. "Her family's pretty respected, with a few black sheep. She works long hours - you probably wouldn't see much of her."

"I didn't like her very much," Wataru said, hoping that Taiga-kun really wouldn't make him go out with her.

"Give her a chance anyway, Wataru," Taiga-kun said. "I'm told she doesn't always bother to give the best first impression. And her bloodline's good and strong. And she could support you. So could Shoji-san."

Wataru stayed silent on that. Protesting didn't seem to be doing him any good.

"Takanoko Keiko would be a catch," Taiga-kun said. "Of which she was very sure to tell the person who did the calling for me." He grinned at Wataru. "And she likes the arts. She apparently knows *of* you. She said something about appreciating your art and your bloodline."

"And having me perform for her," Wataru said.

"You could hardly do worse for a patron," Taiga-kun pointed out. "She's not exactly poor."

"And the others?" Wataru asked, wanting to get off the subject of female sponsors. He wondered if most of them felt sorry for him.

"Watanuki Kimiko you'd probably get along fine with; I could see the two of you working together," Taiga-kun said. "Her family's respectable, but not rich. You'd probably want to rely on somebody else for keeping you going financially, anyway. She's probably one of the best matches for you. The only down side is that her family has some radical ideas - but I'll let her explain that. Or not." He leaned back. "Hideaki Kaori would be relying on you for financials; she's very shy and she's got an artist's temperament. If you really need the need to protect? She'd be who you're looking for. Her family are restaurateurs - they feed on their clients."

Yet another reminder that Wataru's "dates" were all Fangire, and an unwelcome one. Wataru squirmed a little.

"The Kuramaes have always been bureaucrats and scholars," Taiga-kun said. "I take it they feed on the humans that they serve. It's an old, respectable family, but usually they want to serve the royal line, not marry into it. I'm not sure Kuramae Yuki's really interested in marriage, I think she just wants the experience of dating you. If you could get her to settle down, however, I think you'd work pretty well together."

 

"Her brother wouldn't be Kuramae Noboru, would he?" Wataru ventured.

Taiga checked a note. "Yes, he's been missing since - you wouldn't have anything to do with his disappearance, Wataru-kun?"

"He, um, fell in love with Megumi-san," Wataru said quietly.

Taiga-kun laughed. "I don't think I'll hold that one against you," he said. "The Queen's child, meting out the Queen's justice in her absence. Nope. I understand his sister's a bit more serious, but I'll forgive you if you just don't get along."

Wataru instantly crossed Kuramae-san off his mental list.

"Wataru," Taiga-kun said, leaning forward, "I'm serious about this. I'd be remiss if I let you keep killing our kind for the humans. I'm not going to change my mind, so you might as well find a someone or three. I'm happy to help you through the process, if it means not killing you."

"I'm just.. not sure I'm ready for marriage. And it's not like human society would recognize it anyway." That much he knew.

"Well, the Fangire would recognize it, and that's what counts," Taiga-kun said. "For the humans... well, pick one of them to take your name. Besides, you're twenty. You're adaptable. And you're getting married, even if I have to step in and arrange it for you."

The threat hung between them, and Wataru looked down. "When are they going to start calling me?" he asked.

"I told my representative to tell them not to call you before tomorrow," Taiga-kun said. "That way, you'd have these to study first." He handed Wataru the sheets of paper. "Good luck!"

Wataru had a feeling he'd need it.

Wataru was working at his violin later that afternoon when the doorbell rang. He peeked down, and saw a woman he didn't recognize, which was normal. Probably a salesperson.

He went downstairs, still wearing his apron. "Hello?" he asked cautiously as he came up to the gate.

"Hello, Kurenai-san," the woman said. Once he looked at her, he thought she looked vaguely familiar. "I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Takamoto Keiko."

"Oh, yes. From the dinner the other night." Hadn't Taiga-kun said something about not calling him until the next day?

"I'm pleased that you remember me," she said. "I wanted to let you know that I live and work nearby, so I hope it will not inconvenience you to go out with me." She produced a business card from her purse. "This is my phone number; I'm including my private cell phone. I'd love to have dinner with you sometime and tell you why I'm a good choice."

"Um. Thank you," Wataru said, accepting the card. "Takanoko-sensei."

She smiled. "Please consider me," she said, before bowing and leaving.

He stared at the card, put it away, and then went back up to work on his violin.

* * *

The next morning, he had two messages on his cellphone by the time he got up. One was from Shoji-san, the other from Nakamura-san, both asking very politely for him to call them back. He debated not calling them, but decided it was better to do so and live with an uncomfortable date or two than deal with Taiga deciding for him. Plus, it might buy him time.

Mentally, if he had to marry, he probably would choose maybe Shoji-san and Watanuki-san, the ones that sounded like he could tolerate the best. But only if he had to.

That only left three others he had to 'date'. Watanuki-san, Kuramae-san, and Hideaki-san. He already had Taiga-kun's approval to drop Kuramae-san. He called Shoji-san back first.

"Oh, hello, Kurenai-san," Shoji-san said. "I'm glad you got my message." She did sound genuinely glad for that. Wataru had to wonder what Taiga-kun's aide had told her. "Where would you like to meet? A restaurant?"

"Actually," Wataru said, not wanting to embarrass himself, "I've heard that you like the outdoors, so I was thinking of a picnic?"

"That would be wonderful!" Shoji-san had been polite before; now she sounded genuinely interested.

"And perhaps... you could suggest a good place?" He was still feeling around what he had to do; he definitely didn't want to turn Shoji-san off.

"I can do that," she said. "Let me think, and I'll find us the perfect place."

"Someplace private?" Wataru asked. "I don't want you to be constrained to human form if you don't want to be." He knew he was probably overdoing it, but he wanted it to go right.

"You're very considerate, Kurenai-san," she said. "But I'll stay in human form on the first date, I promise. After that.... well, if you wish, we can look at some of my family's properties, and there I'll feel freer."

"I understand," Wataru-san said. "Whatever Shoji-san is comfortable with."

"I'll call you back," Shoji-san promised.

He closed the call with some relief, and then dialed Nakamura-san. He didn't want to deal with her, really, but he'd do one date. To be polite. "Hello, Nakamura-san?"

"Oh, hello, Kurenai-san," the woman greeted him. "This is a bad time; may I call you back later?"

"Sure," he said. "Please think of a place that you'd like to go for dinner." One date. He could do one date.

"Certainly," she said. "I'll talk to you later, Kurenai-san. Thank you for your consideration."

He hung up. Only three more to go.

Since he didn't have their cell phone numbers, Wataru had no choice but to wait for his 'dates' to call back. The doorbell rang again as he worked, and he peeked out the window. "Another Fangire?" he wondered.

So, he went down, coming to his gate. "Hello?" he asked.

"Hello, Kurenai-san," the girl said. "I'm Kuramae Yuki, may I talk to you?"

Kuramae-san was the one that he could say no to a date on, though he suspected he might just do it anyway to be polite. "Yes, certainly." He opened the gate.

She came inside. "Thank you for seeing me, Kurenai-san. I hope I'm not being too forward."

"No, you're not," he said, walking her into the house, down the stairs to his table.. "Kuramae-san, what made you choose to offer yourself as a possible wife? I got the impression that your family is made of scholars and bureaucrats, and nobody in your family's ever married into a royal line...." He was painfully aware he was practically quoting Taiga-kun, but Taiga-kun would understand.

"Well, it was either that or not record the thing for posterity," Kuramae-san said. "So, I applied, I went there... I wasn't expecting our King to choose me. I'm sorry if I've caused you any inconvenience. You'd think I was my crazy brother...."

"Kuramae Noboru-san?" Wataru asked, trying to think of a way to broach the subject of killing her brother.

"Exactly," she said, looking a bit startled. "I'd have you meet him, but he's a poor reflection on the family, and we don't know where he is...."

"I, um. Killed him. He fell in love with Megumi-san, my friend. She's human." He hoped she wouldn't feel the need to avenge her brother. "I'm sorry."

Kuramae Yuki sighed. "Noboru, Noboru, Noboru. Kurenai-san, I'm sorry you had to deal with him. I bet he thought that there was nobody to mete out the Queen's Justice when there was no Queen around."

"So... you're not mad with me... about your brother?" Wataru asked, surprised he didn't have to transform to prevent his own death.

"For dealing the Queen's Justice? No," Kuramae-san said. "Why?"

"Taiga-kun... the whole reason for all this is because I've been killing other Fangire. Taiga-kun says that your brother was the only justified one."

Kuramae-san blinked. "I can see why you're considered a troublesome little brother then," she said quietly. "So, my brother?"

"Taiga also said it was the Queen's Justice," Wataru said.

"I'm sorry again for what you had to do, Kurenai-san," Kuramae-san said. She gazed at him solemnly. "Thank you for telling me."

Wataru nodded. "If you want, I'll take you off the list," he said. "I wouldn't blame you, especially if you're not interested in marrying me."

Kuramae-san gave him a sudden laugh. "A Kuramae marrying a royal? That doesn't happen. I'm not sure why I even made it to this stage."

"Taiga-kun says he thinks we would make a good pair," Wataru said.

Kuramae-san stopped laughing and suddenly looked somber. "I don't know, Kurenai-san. I'm sure Nobori-san thinks I'm a good candidate... but it would go against family tradition. Let me ask my parents, see what they think, before giving you an answer. Okay?"

Wataru nodded. "Yes, that's okay. Thank you for coming, Kuramae-san."

"Thank you for having me," she said, getting up."

After he escorted her through the gate, he was left to his violin and his own thoughts.

 

Wataru sat at the table across from Kuramae-san. Watanuki-san and Hideaki-san had both called, though Hideaki-san had been less her and more her father negotiating a time and place for their date. They'd settled on a picnic, with food from the family restaurant. Watanuki-san had invited him to a concert with dinner afterwards.

"I'm sorry, Kurenai-san," Kuramae-san said, her head bowed. "My family discussed it and... well... I should not have gone to the event, and I certainly should not be even considering having children with a member of the royal family."

"It's all right," Wataru said as the two of them sat awkwardly together. "Thank you for being honest, Kuramae-san."

She gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry to have put you through trouble, especially what you did for my family, in getting rid of my traitorous brother." She rose. "I wish you luck in finding your wives."

"Kuramae-san," Wataru said, looking up at her, "May I... er, your family would... um. Can I hire you to help me out with the others, since you know the royal lines so well? I don't want to get it wrong."

Kuramae-san sat down. "You're a royal, Kurenai-san, even if your mother went insane," she said. "Of course I realize the important of finding the right person to continue your bloodline. You don't even have to hire me; it's a service that we've always done for the royals."

"Thank you, Kuramae-san," he said gratefully. "Taiga-kun gave me profiles; could you look at them and tell me what you know about the familiies?"

She nodded. "I'll give you an initial appraisal here; and then I'll do some research. How many did the King finally choose, including me?"

"Six." Wataru hurried and retrieved the profiles, and then handed them to Kuramae-san. "I need at least two; I don't think Taiga-kun would be offended if I chose five."

"Hm. Give me a few minutes, and do you have any music? Classical?" Kuramae-san asked. "I'm an old-fashioned type; I like classical."

"I could play," he said eagerly.

Kuramae-san smiled again. "If it won't be a bother," she said. "I'd be honored to hear you play."

"Perhaps... maybe... that's why Taiga-kun selected you?" Wataru asked, before going upstairs for his violin. Kuramae-san waited for him to get back down before answering.

"Maybe," she said. "But I can't. I *can't*. The only way my family would consent to the marriage is if the King ordered it."

Wataru sighed. "If I don't find at least two wives, he will." He looked over at her. "Would you be able to bear it?"

She nodded. "But I wouldn't be a Kuramae anymore," she said. "My family would certainly demand that I'd take your surname. Our children would be royal line, not family. My family... if you need to get married, we'll help you."

"Please," he said, "Look at the profiles, while I play."

He concentrated on the violin, playing, while giving her time to look at things. She finally stopped him. "Would you like my analysis, Kurenai-san?" Kuramae-san asked. "I think I have something at least to start you off, and then my family can research bloodlines."

"Yes, thank you." He put the violin down on the table and then sat down next to her, glancing at the profiles in her hands.

"Okay." She neatly put the six sets out. "Well, first of all, we can cross me out. That leaves five to find two wives from. So, in terms of this group, I think you can easily find as many wives as you want, as long as you don't mind being a trophy husband. And the one who raises the kids. A stay-at-home father."

Wataru nodded. He could easily see how some of the women thought that way.

"Shoji-san, Takamoto-san, and Nakamura-san are rich enough that they're probably looking at you in such a way. Watanuki-san's family isn't that badly off either. Hideaki-san's isn't very distinguished; I suspect that the King chose the family because he thought you'd get along well. And really, I don't blame him. If you had to get married to someone right away, I'd choose either Takamoto-san or Nakamura-san and Hideaki-san. One to keep you in comfort, with a roof over your head, and one to help you with the household duties and cook for you."

"I'm not sure I would get along with Nakamura-san," Wataru said. "What do you think of Takamoto-san?"

She shrugged. "Good family. Great doctor. She's been wanting to take over as royal doctor for years. Taking care of *you* would be a feather in her cap. She'd honestly take good care of you. I don't know about loving you, but she would do her best to keep you in good health. Compared to our lifespan, yours is very short; if wouldn't inconvenience her too much to be married to you. You probably wouldn't even see much of her. Same for Nakamura."

"And Shoji-san?" Wataru asked. He had to admit that he'd kind of liked her, from what little he'd seen.

"Good bloodline, not bad choice, if you had to marry one of the rich ones for love, the Shoji family's very passionate people and she would likely be a good match. Unfortunately, they like their isolation. Your other wife would have to consent to living in the same house. If you were to go for Shoji-san, Hideaki-san - she'd probably rent out an apartment out in the nearest city, or she'd start painting on canvas - or Watanuki-san, who would likely spend a lot of her time touring. Come to think of it, Shoji-san and Watanuki-san wouldn't be a bad combination, but that would leave you running the household a lot. Hideaki can at least ease that burden."

Wataru nodded. "So, any of them would be okay?" he asked.

Kuramae-san laughed. "You could marry any of them and not have a problem. Small problems with logistics, yes, but...." She trailed off in thought. "Ideally, I would do the dates, make sure you can get along, invite the ones you like for dinner, and work it out between all of you. Most, if not all of these women would be just fine. Oh, one thing I do advise, Kurenai-san? I wouldn't mention that you're a murderer."

"Oh," Wataru said. "But... but...." Why shouldn't he be honest about that?

"If you have to," Kuramae-san said, "I would tell them about my brother. How you carried out the Queen's justice. But it'll make people nervous, scare your dates away, which would cause problems. My parents would appreciate it if you could avoid marrying me."

"Oh, okay," he said. He wasn't sure why he'd lie, but he'd follow Kuramae-san's advice. For the moment.

 

It was somehow not a suprise that Taiga-kun - Wataru reminded himself that Taiga-kun was his older brother and he should be addressing him the right way, but it was hard to think of him that way - dropped by to see how things were going.

He looked at the file folders, and then Wataru, and folded his hands. "So, how is the search going?"

"Kuramae-san's been helping me," Wataru said. "Once I took her off the list, she was more than happy to help me figure out who I want to marry."

"She wouldn't make a bad wife for you herself," Taig said, taking a seat. "The Kuramaes are legendary for recordkeeping."

"But she wouldn't be a Kuramae if she married me," Wataru lamented. "She'd be forced to take my name and be just my wife. We'd destroy her purpose in life, Taiga-kun."

"Nii-san, I'm your Nii-san," Taiga-kun reminded him. "I'm your older brother, I'm going to make sure you're taken care of."

Wataru nodded. He still hadn't figured out how to convince Taiga on having his people not kill humans, and he really didn't want to get into an argument at the moment. But still....

"Nii-san, you wouldn't have to marry me off if the Fangire would stop slaughtering humans," he tried.

"Humans are food," Taiga said, without batting an eyelash. "The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be with your wives." He leaned forward. "You're not going to be a threat to your own people anymore, Wataru. Because we *are* your people; the fact that you're half human is a stain on our mother, not you. In fact, I have people working on making you live the length of time that you *should*, instead of the length of time that you seem to be at now."

"Tai - er, Nii-san," Wataru pleaded. "I...."

"You can adapt and change, Wataru, I have faith in you," Taiga said. "I want my younger brother to be happy, and you can't be happy doing what you've been doing." His tone was firm. "Now, have you got dates scheduled with everybody?"

"Except Kuramae-san," Wataru said. "I... I guess you could say we've been dating, if you mean that we've spent time together....

Taiga - his older brother - smiled. "I'll talk to the Kuramaes. Surely there's something that I can do to make them feel more comfortable with the prospect of a royal as a son-in-law that won't make them cut their daughter off."

"She's very frightened that it might happen," Wataru said.

"Then I'll just have to make sure they don't turn her out for marrying you," Taiga said. "And the others? Anybody you like, so far?"

"Um... I'm not sure yet," Wataru admitted. "Watanuki-san and Takamoto-san and Shoji-san are the best prospects so far." He hadn't really considered that far; those had been the first names off the top of his head.

His older brother looked thoughtful. "If I didn't think they would be good matches for you, I wouldn't have given them your phone number. Any of them are fine, Wataru. You can't just marry Kuramae-san."

"I... don't think Kuramae-san wants to marry me after all," Wataru said. "And you gave me permission to take her off the list."

"I changed my mind," Taiga said. "She sounds like she's perfect for you. And if I have to make it a royal order, I will. But hopefully, I can persuade the Kuramaes that they're not going to lose their daughter, they're going to gain a son." He smiled at Wataru. "How would you like to go into recordkeeping?"

"I'd rather do that than have Kuramae-san lose her place in her family," Wataru admitted. He couldn't imagine himself as a recordkeeper, but it was better than forcing Kuramae-san to lose everything she knew and loved. He didn't know how well it would come across to her family, though.

"Then I'll see how receptive they are to it," Taiga said. "And I expect to hear reports on how everybody else comes out, too. I think you'll like your other choices. If you wanted to marry them all, I really would not object."

"I know, Nii-san," Wataru said. "I... I want to meet them more, first. I haven't even dated the rest."

"Just don't take forever, Wataru," Taiga said. "I don't want to have to kill you."

"I'll... try not to," Wataru said. He really didn't want to have to kill his big brother, either.

Taiga got up. "I know you'll make good choices, Wataru," he said. "You are my little brother, after all."

Nodding, Wataru decided maybe he'd get through all of this after all.

"And by the way," Taiga said casually, "I made a doctor's appointment for you. I'm worried about your energy levels...."

Wataru winced.


End file.
